Going Up, Anyone?  

Ipomoea 'Heavenly Blue'

     Sometimes gardeners get so caught up with grass, trees, shrubs, bulbs, annuals and perennials that they forget the "other" gardening possibility---vines. Whether annual or perennial, these vertical elements provide interest in small spaces and can make a fairly new garden look more established. With summer upon us I wanted to share some of our favorite annual vines with you. We try to plant several examples of these around the display gardens, and in our own yards, so that we can share stories with each other and when we teach classes. 

     I'd have to say that my favorite annual vine is 'Heavenly Blue' morning glory (Ipomoea 'Heavenly Blue'). The above photo is from last year when we planted one (again) on the chain link fence that faces the road. Although we've enjoyed one there for several years, last year's specimen was so spectacular that it made you stop in your   

Ipomoea alba

tracks. The delicious electric blue flowers on the seed packet are not an optical trick! It is a wonderful heirloom variety.  My next favorite would have to be moon vine (Ipomoea alba) because it has large fragrant flowers that open at dusk and remain open until the next morning. If you like to enjoy your garden at night or you want to introduce your children to one of nature's timekeepers, consider planting one of these. This vine is also visited at night by a large moth resembling a hummingbird, and witnessing this is garden treat for children and adults alike.

Dolichos lablab

     Lablab vine (Dolichos lablab) also goes by the common name hyacinth bean vine. This easy vine has showy fuchsia-purple bean pods and clusters of lavender flowers that many gardeners think resemble wisteria. The hummingbirds will enjoy this plant right along with you, and Les our general manager used this vine to great effect at his home in Norfolk a few years ago. I still show my propagating classes a photograph of his welcoming entryway when I mention large seeds that even beginners can be successful with. Another great hummingbird plant is cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit), and I love the delicate look of its ferny foliage with the red flowers.     

Ipomoea quamoclit

     All of the vines I've mentioned here love full sun and don't have to have Victory Garden soil to thrive. You want to make sure the soil doesn't stay soggy, and too much nitrogen fertilizer can mean a huge vine at the expense of the flowers you're anxiously awaiting. A sturdy pergola, fence or trellis would make an ideal support, or you can utilize existing plants in your yard. In my cottage-y front yard garden a 'Heavenly Blue' morning glory often scrambles across my deciduous shrubs and up a 'Mary Nell' holly. We have plants of these vines all ready for you to just pop in the ground. Now who's "going up"?  

Ann Weber    

 Living Fossils:  Dawn Redwood

at the time, paleo-botanist Dr. Shigeru Miki was busy working with North American fossils of Sequoias (Redwoods) and Taxodium (Bald Cypress). While investigating these two groups, he also found 1.5 million year-old specimens of something slightly different.  He named this heretofore unknown species Metasequoia, meaning "like Sequoia".  During the same year in the

     Metasequoia glyptostroboides, or Dawn Redwood, can easily be grown in most gardens.  This tree will tolerate a wide range of soil conditions from normal to wet and prefers full sun.  The narrow, upright tree is often listed as growing to 100' tall, by 25' wide, but as earlier planted specimens are becoming older, that 100' mark is being surpassed.  The soft foliage of the Dawn Redwood emerges in the spring a very bright and pleasing green, and in the fall it turns a handsome orange to rusty-brown.  The reddish brown bark on the tree will exfoliate with age and is an attractive feature in itself.  With age, the trunk takes on a lot of character and develops dramatic buttressing.  Perhaps the most striking feature of the tree is its rate of growth.  Well-planted and well-cared for trees will grow several feet a year, often reaching 50' in only 15 to 20 year's time.

Must-Have Books for this Year

     When I was buying books for the garden center this year there were a couple of titles that jumped out at me.  One of them concerned attracting native pollinators to your garden, and with the trouble honeybees have been having recently, I thought this topic would be timely.  Another subject always on my mind is weed proliferation, probably because I have so many in my own garden.  I also found a couple of new books on vegetable gardening, which is enjoying renewed interest right now.  So let me share with you what I found. 

     Let's start off with a book called Attracting Native Pollinators, published by the Xerces Society.  This great book brings home the importance of bees, beetles and butterflies as beneficial garden dwellers and pollinators.  Topics addressed include attracting, protecting and caring for these garden helpers.  Making sure you have the right pollinators, and the plants that attract them, will ensure you have lots of flowers, fruits and vegetables for years to come.  This book is packed with tons of identification information too.

     We have two new books on weeds that I find very informative, so much so that I use them as resource books when customers need help identifying yard weeds.  One is Weeds of the Northeast by Richard Uva, Joseph C. Neal and Joseph M. DiTomaso.  The other is Weeds of the South, by Charles T. Bryson and Michael S. DeFelice. Both have very comprehensive lists (with pictures) of the weeds that are common to our area.  I find that once I can identify a weed, I can then find the best way to get rid of it.

     The trend of home vegetable gardening is as strong today as it has ever been, and we have the books to help with every question.   The Veggie Gardener's Answer Book, by Barbara W. Ellis, is a pocket-sized book of solutions and answers to just about every question imaginable.  Also available is The Vegetable Gardener's Bible, written by Edward C. Smith, which is a must-have for organic growers.

     We have more books available on a number of topics I haven't even touched on, so please stop by and let us help you find the right one for you. Remember, we are always here to answer any questions you may have.

Margie Cooper